Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1542142
Delta is also intended as a tool for collecting valuable data from battlefield recordings and transmissions. These data sets are used to train algorithms, for example for automatic guidance of drones to an operator-designated target. The Ukrainian Centre for Development of Defense Technologies not only has these data sets, but has created infrastructure enabling algorithm training under a separate agreement with a manufacturer, without direct access by a private company to the data. The MoD of Ukraine and the AFU treat these data sets as one of Ukraine's greatest advantages in the future race to mass-deploy artificial intelligence on the battlefield, carefully guarding and expanding their database — with Delta's help. This also helps verify the real combat effectiveness of particular weapon systems and units. Every drone produced by Ukrainian defense companies is integrated with Delta. Currently, within a number of Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces units a competition has developed over combat effectiveness — objectively verified by the Delta system. The war thus largely becomes a points game: the most effective unit that destroys the most enemy targets on the front gains the most points, and those points can then be converted into additional weapons and equipment for their forces via the Brave-1 Market system (discussed below). A particular feature of the Ukrainian Delta is that it was built from the ground up with the specifics of the Ukrainian battlefield and the structure of the Ukrainian armed forces in mind. In short, it is a Ukrainian system intentionally created to meet the needs of the Ukrainian military. Its designers intended it to be user-friendly and easy to learn. For example, it takes into account that the Ukrainian army consists in large part of mobilized civilians with an average age of about 40 who do not necessarily have much experience with civilian digital systems. It is meant to be a system for everyone, with extensive technical support provided by the Centre for Development of Defense Technologies team, which in turn allows rapid changes or bug fixes based on user feedback, and helps users of very varied levels of familiarity with modern digital technologies to master the system quickly. Delta was also built to be compatible with similar NATO systems. For example, during the NATO exercise "REPMUS 2025," which aimed to integrate different unmanned systems for maritime combat, Ukrainian Delta served as the BMS for one of the two teams participating in the exercise. Through Delta, the use of drones from several NATO countries and from Ukraine was coordinated. Direction Three – Development of the Defense Sector In Ukrainian conditions the Ministry of Defense is not the only structure building the new digital face of the Ukrainian armed forces. It should even be said that the MoD is not the main source of these innovations; that role belongs to the aforementioned Ministry of Digital Transformation (MDT), which is the source of many initiatives and personnel for the AFU and MoD. The first serious MDT initiative was the Army of Drones, whose aim was to raise funds for large-scale purchases of drones for Ukraine from abroad. The downside of that approach was ANALYSIS